Rioters at Howick spent Thursday night blockading main
roads, setting debris on fire, shooting at police, stoning passing vehicles and
torching two trucks.
The chaos started at around 5 pm when people blockaded the
R617, the Boston/Underberg Road, following the arrest of nine community members
earlier that afternoon.
An ongoing land dispute in Howick near the Midmar Dam is
said to be the root cause of the protest.
Howick community members from an informal settlement in the
area identified land that had been vacant for 30 years near the Midmar Dam and
wanted to buy it to build more houses.
The owner of the land had allegedly made an agreement to
purchase with a man, however, the community said they also wanted an
opportunity to buy it and wanted uMngeni Municipality to help with payment.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said
the protests started after the community invaded “a private property at
Howick”.
Nine people aged between 24 and 55 were arrested.
Gwala said after the arrests, members of the community
embarked on a protest and blockaded the R617 Road and the N3 north bound lane
with burning tyres and logs.
“They fired shots at the police and also set alight a truck
on the N3. They also threw stones at police and motorists.”
Emergency workers said the area was a no-go zone.
Photographs of scores of cars stuck in traffic, burning tyres and a burning
truck were sent to multiple WhatsApp community groups. Fires could be seen
raging in the background.
People living near the R617 and the N3 where the protest
took place claimed to be able to hear explosions and the commotion from their
homes.
Gwala said rubber
bullets were used to disperse “the unruly crowd”.
“There were reports of vehicles being damaged but no one has
come forward to open a case. A case of public violence was opened for
investigation at Howick SAPS,” said Gwala.
When Weekend Witness went to the area where the protesters
had been on Thursday, large logs and burnt debris lay at the roadside. One of
the trucks that was set alight on the N3 northbound, was completely gutted.
Joey’s Towing said they had been working on removing the
burnt out tanker that had been carrying oil to Sasol since early on Friday
morning.
A man who was at the protests on Thursday evening but asked
not to be named said he had witnessed all the mayhem.
“They tried to set the fire truck alight after they set the
tanker on fire and they also tried to burn the fuel line nearby. They were
going crazy,” said the man.
“It eventually calmed down at midnight and police were
definitely under pressure but were trying to handle it as best as they could,”
he said.
Gwala said the people who were arrested were due to appear
in the Howick Magistrate’s Court on Friday, however, it is unclear what the
outcome of the appearance was.
Things had calmed down by Friday, but police were still
monitoring the situation carefully.
uMngeni municipal spokesperson Thando Mgaga said on Friday
that “any act of vandalism or destruction of property for any reason is
strongly condemned by the municipality”.
“Moreover the municipality was never approached to purchase
the land in question. The land is privately owned, therefore any activities
that take place on privately owned land, whether legally or illegally must be
dealt with and attended to by the land owner.”
